High Temperatures Sideline Riverside Trash Trucks, Delay Trash Pickups
Published: 9/11/2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sept. 11, 2024
Contact:
Phil Pitchford
Public Information Officer
951-826-5975
High Temperatures Sideline Riverside Trash Trucks, Delay Trash Pickups
City mechanics, local repair shops working to get trucks back in service, schedule restored
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – High temperatures in Riverside recently knocked 19 trash trucks out of service, delaying trash pick-ups because the trucks either overheated, were too hot for drivers to enter, or could not be refueled with compressed natural gas.
City staff mechanics and local repair shops are working to get the trucks back in service as soon as possible so that drivers can resume the normal schedule for picking up refuse – all while watching a weather forecast that calls for cooler temperatures.
“We have a concentrated effort to put trucks back in service as soon as possible,” City Manager Mike Futrell said. “Every effort is being made to catch up on missed routes and stay on schedule going forward.”
Temperatures in Riverside reached 107 every day from Saturday-Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Some refuse trucks overheated, while others without air conditioning saw temperatures inside the cab reach 120 degrees – too hot for drivers to operate safely.
Other trucks could not be refueled with compressed natural gas. Fueling stations were shut down because of heat-related high pressure, creating hours of delay in refueling trucks. Refuse drivers with operable vehicles were left to pick up as much trash, recyclables and green waste as possible.
The heat worsened existing issues with aging refuse trucks that the City is in the process of replacing. New trucks are expected to arrive within the next few months.
In the shorter term, temperatures in Riverside are expected to drop to highs in the high 80 starting today (9/11).
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